UPDATE (7:50 p.m.) - SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
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UPDATE (6:25 p.m.) - Launch time is now set for 7:44 p.m.
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UPDATE (5:45 p.m.) - The launch has been pushed back to 7:22 p.m., according to the SpaceX website.
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ORIGINAL STORY - SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Tuesday evening.
The four-hour launch window is scheduled to open at 6:13 p.m.
The rocket will carry 21 Starlink satellites into orbit.
Starlink is SpaceX's high-speed broadband satellite internet service.
According to the company, this launch will include the first six Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities designed to enable mobile network operators to provide global access to texting, calling, and browsing.
This will also be the first flight for the rocket's first stage booster. Following stage separation, SpaceX plans to land the booster on its Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean so it can be used again in future launches.
A live webcast of the launch is scheduled to begin about 15 minutes before liftoff on X.
If the rocket does not go up Tuesday night, SpaceX has a backup launch window scheduled for 5:51 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
This launch was originally set for Thursday, Dec. 14 but was rescheduled.
